Once Upon A Nightmare
by NefarioussNess
Summary: The Nogitsune shook its head. "We can see through your bluff, little wolf. As long as we're in here"—It gestured at Stiles' body with a wave of its wrist—"you won't lay a finger on us. "This body is too precious to you; you intend to keep him alive. It's an admirable dream, but because of that we will win. You know that, right?"


"Shh, shh," it said softly as it placed two fingers on Stiles' lips. "I'll take care of it."

The boy couldn't move, trapped and immobile within his own mind. Tendrils of thick, smoky darkness swept over his form, curling around his limbs and tying him down. He looked so beautiful, the Nogitsune noted thoughtfully, watching Stiles' eyes glisten with tears. He cried so prettily, almost like an angel.

Having Stiles restrained in such a way showed how much power his shadow had over him; if you couldn't run away in your own mind, then what were you expected to do?

The Nogitsune dragged its fingers down Stiles' lips and down his chin before gripping it. He forced the boy to look into its eyes, and he admired how his borrowed image reflected back in his eyes. It mirrored Stiles perfectly in the physical sense, and it quietly congratulated itself in its choice of host. The boy had ties to many important obstacles currently in its way; he would involuntary give his shadow the upper hand.

"Don't," Stiles sobbed out, and that single word carried out multiple meanings. _Don't hurt them, don't kill them, don't push me down into the darkness._

"Sorry, but we can't comply with those wishes," it replied cruelly. "It's nothing personal, Stiles, just business."

Stiles opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Instead, the darkness swept over him, engulfing him with its choking blackness as it smothered his body. Within a few seconds the boy was gone, banished to the darkest corner of his mind, where he would be peacefully blank and still until the Nogitsune needed him again.

It allowed its presence to expand, filling the boy's consciousness and overriding his body's functions. At last it saw through Stiles' eyes, viewing the world that surrounded it. Below him he could hear the frantic racing of footsteps heading up the staircase. The Nogitsune smirked; it was the Alpha himself.

In a way the Nogitsune felt honored to be on its radar; they were each other's greatest threat at the moment. Scott was a force of purity and light, while the shadow reveled in corruption and darkness. Using the Alpha's brother as its host would inevitably lead to a Biblical stand-off; the classic Cain and Abel situation. Entertaining that idea kept it occupied while it waited for Scott to charge his way into the room, his eyes glowing that gorgeous red.

The Nogitsune stood in the center of the room, its blank eyes staring at Scott. Scott instantly knew that it wasn't Stiles in control because the creature was so unnaturally still and calm. It tilted Stiles' neck, observing Scott with mock curiosity.

"For once you're on time," it said. Scott stayed silent, refusing to fall for the bait.

The Nogitsune twisted Stiles' mouth into a smile. "You were always late, and we think that Stiles has resigned himself to it. If only he was here now; he would be so pleased with you."

Scott kept his hands at his sides, curling his fingers into a loose fist. He was focusing on getting his claws out, but he wasn't intending on using them. He couldn't, not while the Nogitsune was holding his best friend hostage. He was instead hoping to gain an advantage over the spirit, show him that threatening his family and his town was a bad move on its part.

The Nogitsune must've noticed this, because it took on an amused look. "Do you think your little fangs and claws are going to stop us?"

"There's no harm in trying," Scott replied.

The Nogitsune shook its head. "We can see through your bluff, little wolf. As long as we're in here"—It gestured at Stiles' body with a wave of its wrist—"you won't lay a finger on us.

"This body is too precious to you; you intend to keep him alive. It's an admirable dream, but because of that we will win. You know that, right?"

"I've stopped others like you before," Scott said angrily. He clenched his fists, his claws digging into the skin of his hands. "I can stop you."

"Can you?" the Nogitsune asked. It made a little _tsk, tsk, tsk_ noise in the back of its borrowed throat. "Can you really, Scott? We've been filing through his memories and found quite a character study on you. It seems to us that you're incapable of murder, even for the good of all.

"You couldn't kill the one who turned you into this, even if that meant a sliver of a chance of regaining your mortal form. You couldn't kill the psychopath who was determined to eradicate your race for his own deluded agenda. You allowed the Demon Wolf to bloody his own hands to finish off the Darach and then permitted him to leave the town without consequence. It's a shaky record, but it's also a comfort."

"How so?" Scott asked, even though he knew the answer and dreaded it.

The Nogitsune walked towards him, staring at him. "If you can't defeat your own villains, then how are you expected to kill your own friend, your brother?"

"I don't have to kill him to stop you," Scott growled out.

The Nogitsune smirked, and reached out, wrapping its fingers around Scott's throat. It squeezed tightly, cutting off the flow of oxygen. Scott gasped, both equally surprised and terrified by the terrible strength in that grip, all coming from Stiles.

No, not Stiles, never Stiles.

"Then you've just signed our parole, didn't you?" the Nogitsune hissed out. It pushed Scott up against the nearest wall, grinning savagely as Scott winced from the impact. "If you're not willing to kill, then we're free to do as we please because there's no saving your precious, darling Stiles without making a committed sacrifice. It's win-win for us."

Scott scrabbled to gain a hold on Stiles' arm, gripping it for dear life. Black spots appeared in his vision, and he blinked to stay conscious. "Stiles, wake up," he wheezed out. "You're stronger than this. Don't let it win."

"He can't hear you," the Nogitsune said cruelly. "He won't be allowed to touch you unless we give him permission to. Don't you understand, Scott? He's _ours_ now."

"Stiles…" It was the last thing Scott remembered saying as his eyes rolled back into his head and his body screamed for air. When he awoke many hours later the Nogitsune was gone, and it'd taken Stiles with it. 


End file.
